Rules of Thumb

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Rules of Thumbis a concise, user-friendly, and affordable handbook developed around students' real writing needs. An invaluable companion for writers at all levels, it gives students the advice they need on writing, research, grammar, and style in a clear and engaging voice. Reflecting the most current APA documentation styles, the eighth edition remains the ideal handbook for improving grammar without overwhelming student writers with specialized terminology.

Acknowledgements

The Meaning of "Rule of Thumb"

How to Use Rules of Thumb

PART 1: THE BASICS: SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, AND GRAMMAR

A Word about Correctness

Commonly Confused Words

One Word or Two?

Spelling

Capitalization

Abbreviations and Numbers

Apostrophes

Consistent Pronouns

I vs. Me, She vs. Her, He vs. Him, Who vs. Whom

Vague Pronouns

Recognizing Complete Sentences

Run-on Sentences and Sentence Fragments

Feature: Using but, however, although

Commas

Semicolons

Colons

Dashes and Parentheses

Quotation Marks

Titles: Underlines, Italics, or Quotation Marks

Shifting Verb Tenses

Verb Agreement

Word Endings: -s and -ed

Parallel Structure

Dangling COnstructions

Mixed Sentence Patterns

PART 2: PUTTING A PAPER TOGETHER

What to Do When You're Stuck

Addressing Your Audience

Writing with a Thesis

Arguing for Your Position

Finding an Organization for Your Essay

Introductions

Paragraphs--Long and Short

Transitions

Incorporating Quotations

Conclusions

How to Make a Paper Longer (and When to Make It Shorter)

How to Work on a Second Draft

Shortcuts for "Word"

Proofreading Tips

Format of College Papers

Special Case: Writing an Essay in Class

Special Case: Writing about Literature

PART 3: THE RESEARCH PAPER

Seven Steps to a Research Paper

How to Conduct Research

Feature: Tips for Fact-Checking

Going Beyond Google and Wikipedia

Feature: When You Find Too Few or Too Many Sources

Writing the Research Paper

Feature: PowerPoint Presentations

Plagiarism (Cheating)

What Is Documentation?

Feature: Where to Find Specific Entries for Works Cited, References, and Bibliography